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Looking for advice, preferably from Pipe Welders.

Hey all,
I'll start by simply introducing myself, and giving you a background on my career in welding and fabrication. My name is Keyton Brewer, and I am 20 years old about to hit 21. I took 2 years of welding fabrication classes in highschool, attended the SkillsUSA IL State competition and finished 8th out of 48. I was in the National Technical Honor Society, maintained a 4.0GPA in all my welding/fab classes. I passed my qualification test for structural 3G and 4G SMAW 7018. Basically to sum it up, I love welding and learning more and more about welding.
When I graduated highschool I moved to California to help my father with his medical business, and then I eventually moved back to the midwest and am currently located in Indiana. I have worked at a trucking company and truck repair shop as a welder/fabricator and mechanic for two years.
Now that I am approaching 21, I am starting to look out for the rest of my life, and where I want to be in the next 5 years. Obviously I know I NEED to be doing something involved in the Welding Industry. I love the work and the people in the business. The reason I am on here, typing away is because I would like some advice from the experienced professionals on which way they would go.
I have been looking at heading to Tulsa, OK and attending the Tulsa Welding School for their Professional Welder and AOS programs. The past two years I have been setting money aside to go back to school, and now I am to the point where I think I can do it. My question is:
- Is TWS as good as it appears? I know its one of the big three...
- Is it worth $15k a course?
- Where can I go after completion?

I would like to end up in the Pipe Welding industry, this is something I have strived after since I started welding. I also believe it is something I can do, I just need more experience and skill under my belt. I know I need to start from the bottom, but where do I start, and where is the best location to go to? I am also interested in obtaining my CPWI, I feel it is something good to have on a resume, even if you are a welder?
Once completion of my schooling, what do I need to get started and where should I look to get started?

ALSO, if anyone is located around the Tulsa, OK area are there any welding shops looking for workers? I would like to find some part time, or full-time work while I am attending school.

Looking for advice, preferably from Pipe Welders.

If your already a welder and fabricator screw the tulsa school of welding move to Alaska or Louisiana or north dakato and join the many newcomers in the growing oil and gas industry. You can start as a structual hand all ya need to do is pass 7018 plate test overhead and 6g then you'll get 28-32 an hour depending on fabricating skills... Then I guarantee within a years time if you apply your self your learn too fit and weld pipe ... Then your in the good money 34-40 an hour . Go get some ! I love making as much as white collar executives when I only have a high school education in the last 11 years my worst years income was 90k the best was 145k but that was gettn it I didn't do much else but work that year

I work with prob a half dozen young guys who did the welding school after high school and still owe $13,000+ on their schooling and now make 12 bucks an hour. There are lots of new welding jobs popping up almost everywhere with this shale gas drilling and if you want to travel there is money to be made. Heres one local to you.http://www.exterran.com/Careers/NorthAmerican 150098 ...Bob

If your already a welder and fabricator screw the tulsa school of welding move to Alaska or Louisiana or north dakato and join the many newcomers in the growing oil and gas industry. You can start as a structual hand all ya need to do is pass 7018 plate test overhead and 6g then you'll get 28-32 an hour depending on fabricating skills... Then I guarantee within a years time if you apply your self your learn too fit and weld pipe ... Then your in the good money 34-40 an hour . Go get some ! I love making as much as white collar executives when I only have a high school education in the last 11 years my worst years income was 90k the best was 145k but that was gettn it I didn't do much else but work that year

Just curious, when you go to these locations and want to get to work. How are you showing up, with a full rig, or do they supply the rigs? I know a friend of mine went up to Alaska the year he got out of H/S and he spent all this money to buy a truck and make a **** of a welding rig. He got up there, and they paid him for his rig and supplies, along with about 110k a year. Is that the approach to take, or work in slowly?

If your already a welder and fabricator screw the tulsa school of welding move to Alaska or Louisiana or north dakato and join the many newcomers in the growing oil and gas industry. You can start as a structual hand all ya need to do is pass 7018 plate test overhead and 6g then you'll get 28-32 an hour depending on fabricating skills... Then I guarantee within a years time if you apply your self your learn too fit and weld pipe ... Then your in the good money 34-40 an hour . Go get some ! I love making as much as white collar executives when I only have a high school education in the last 11 years my worst years income was 90k the best was 145k but that was gettn it I didn't do much else but work that year

i agree with moving down here to louisiana the only thing diferent that i would do is i would got to every contrac company you can find down here and fill out an app.you'll get lots of experience in different situations this way. most of the yards around here need welders badly the problem about working for just one is you only do what they have you do rather than if you was contracing you might be welding structural one day and be welding on the pipeline the next. you make real good money if you get on a laybarge and weld pipe you eat good and have lots of sitting around doing nuthing down time.another good thing about contracing is you get to meet lots of people and after a while you get your little black book filled with contact numbers this way when one company isn't in need of you you have your book to fall back on if you do a good job they will be calling you long before you will have to call them. so pack your cloths and come on down here and make some money.lol

I went a very similar route as you did, I'm 27 now, went to a regular 4 yr college for a while taking mech eng. decided it wasn't for me, and went to community college to take welding, then ended up getting a job as a tractor trailer mechanic for 4 years. Took a job at a shipyard here building nuclear subs, and still paying off the snap-on, and college bills, haha. The nice thing about this place is they have their own welding school, which they pay you to go through. Having already welded previously, I flew through their structural training and got sent right to pipe welding, and have been doing it ever since.

Here you go KB, from a guy on the inside of NSG and PGL. The two major gas companies in the Chicagoland area, besides Nicor. We are hiring contractor left and right for pipe, but you have to do both steel and plastic, I know because I am company welder for NSG. Get into 597 and learn to weld 250 wall 12". The test to weld for us is the 12" butt with the 12" saddle/branch. If you can do that your golden anywhere you go. Not many other utilities use that test anymore.

Anyway, Chicago has a 20 year main replacement program and the welders are pulling in at least 125k. Get a rig, and buy a used Pipe Pro 304, don't even mess around with anything smaller if your serious. Get in with 597 and learn to pass that test, and you won't even have to leave to go anywhere else to find work.